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Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez injured in 9-5 win over Dodgers, but expects to play Friday

The Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez reaches second base as Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez jumps to field a throw from the outfield in the first inning Thursday. (David Zalubowski, The Associated Press)

The baseball gods giveth and the baseball gods taketh away.

Although the Rockies got a much-needed 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night at Coors Field, they lost all-star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez to a strained upper back. Manager Walt Weiss said Gonzalez is "day to day," but Gonzalez said he planned to play Friday.

Gonzalez hurt his back while striking out in the fifth inning. He departed the game before his at-bat in the sixth, replaced by rookie Corey Dickerson in left field.

"CarGo said he's done it before, so we are not too concerned with it," Weiss said.

Earlier in the day, star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki took batting practice for the first time since breaking his rib on June 13. He said the rib is healing nicely and said there's a chance he will return from the disabled list before the all-star break.

The Rockies' Michael Cuddyer (3) is congratulated after scoring on a single by Wilin Rosario on Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning. (David Zalubowski, The Associated Press)

The loss was just the second in the last 12 games for the reborn Dodgers. The win snapped the Rockies' three-game losing streak and left them alone in second place in the National League West, 2½ games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Rockies travel to Arizona on Friday to begin an important 10-game road trip.

Two moments defined the Rockies' victory in front of a sellout crowd of 48,794.

In the third inning, Dodgers third baseman Nick Punto slammed his bat and helmet to the ground in disgust. He whiffed with two outs and the bases loaded, the victim of Jhoulys Chacin's 91 mph two-seam fastball.

"He got in that part of the game where it could have gone either way right there," Weiss said. "That was a big strikeout."

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From that point on, Chacin settled in and gave the Rockies a start sturdy enough to carry them to victory. He didn't have his best stuff — as four runs on nine hits over 5 ⅔ innings showed — but he hung tough. Chacin won his fifth straight game, improving to 8-3 with a 3.74 ERA.

"After that strikeout in the third, I kind of settled down," Chacin said. "The first three innings I was up in the zone and it hurt me and I got a lot of baserunners. But I started making my pitches. The important thing is that we got the win and ended our losing streak."

The second moment brought the crowd to its feet with wild cheers and oohs and aahs. No, not the Independence Day fireworks; those came later.

It the bottom of the third, the Rockies produced a scene straight out of the movie "Major League." Michael Cuddyer ripped a double to right-center. Josh Rutledge had to pause a moment to make sure Matt Kemp didn't make the catch, but Gonzalez was running at the crack of the bat. As Rutledge rounded third, CarGo was hot on his heels and he slid safely into home, a split second after Rutledge crossed the plate.

Cuddyer, who has reached base in 61 of the 65 games he's played this season and is bidding for a spot on the National League all-star team, went 2-for-3, adding a solo homer to deep right field to lead off the seventh. It was Cuddyer's 15th homer and he's hitting .343.

LOOKING AHEAD COLORADO AT ARIZONA

Recent questions about Jorge De La Rosa have nothing to do with his rebuilt left elbow or his composure on the mound. Rather, it's his left hand — specifically his bruised thumb — that prompts concern every time he pitches. "It's popped up here a few times in a row," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said Thursday. "So we'll keep an eye on it. It's funny, because between starts it seems to be fine, then once he starts warming up in the bullpen is when he starts to feel it again. We're going inning to inning with him during the game." Despite the discomfort, De La Rosa leads the Rockies with 11 quality starts and has looked like the pitcher who won 16 games in 2009. Friday marks De La Rosa's fourth start this season against Arizona.

Rockies left-hander Jorge De La Rosa (Andy Cross, Denver Post file)

He's 2-1 with a 1.56 ERA in those games. For his career (20 games, including 16 starts), he's 8-4 with a 2.25 ERA against the Diamondbacks. Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post

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